DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman swept Savannah State 9-5 and 16-0 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Southern Division doubleheader Friday at Jackie Robinson Ballpark that assured the Wildcats of a spot in next week's conference tournament.
The Wildcats (29-23 overall, 14-8 MEAC) needed to win two games in this series to officially lock down one of the three Southern Division in next week's Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament and in position to earn the No. 1 seed if they win Saturday and North Carolina A&T beats Florida A&M.
GAME ONE
In the opener,
Anthony Maldonado and
Donte Lindsay combined for eight shutout innings, while
Josten Heron drove in three runs and
Nate Sterijevski two as the Wildcats pulled away by two runs in four consecutive innings.
Bethune-Cookman took a 1-0 lead when Sterijevski scored on Heron's bases loaded walk in the second.
Sterijevski scored three runs while
Austin Garcia plated twice.
Backed by crisp defense – catcher
Jordan Stacy threw three Tiger base runners out while
Demetrius Sims had four putouts and two assists at short and Heron six catches in center – Maldonado and Lindsay surrendered just two hits. Seniors Charles
Eytel and
Sam Brooks worked the ninth, with Brooks earning a save.
GAME TWO
The Wildcats posted a season-high offensive output as Garcia, Sterijevski and
Kyle Corbin each drove in three runs while
Tyler Norris,
Bobby Stewart and
Danny Melgarejo held Savannah State (12-38,3-20) to five hits in the combined shutout.
Garcia's two-run single, followed by a Corbin RBI single, set the tone as the Wildcats scored three in the first and would score in all six innings.
The Wildcats batted around in the fourth, scoring five.
Garcia finished 3-4 with four runs scored. Corbin went 3-3. Sims was 3-4 with  a triple and
Jameel Edney 3-4 with three runs scored, two RBI and a double.
Norris, who no-hit the Tigers back on April 8, gave up a hit in the second that squashed any hopes of a repeat, but he did finish with six strike outs in five innings of scoreless work.
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